Meet the Board

About KCC

Mission Statement

The mission of Kevin's Community Center is to provide free health care to persons over the age of 18 who are uninsured or underinsured and have limited financial resources

Overview and Outlook of KCC

Kevin’s Community Center, Inc. (KCC) was founded in 2002 as a tax-exempt
nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization by Dr. and Mrs. Z. Michael Taweh in memory of
their son, Kevin to address the health care crisis in Connecticut for uninsured and
underinsured adult residents of Newtown, Bridgewater and Roxbury. At that time, Dr.
Taweh led a community-wide, grassroots effort to found the clinic involving state
and municipal government and the business, medical, financial, nonprofit and
religious sectors and the citizens who had a stake in the well-being of our
community. To date we have provided more than 5,000 patient visits and have
delivered more than $2,500,000 in free medical care including specialty care
referrals. Through the 2008 collapse of the financial markets, KCC’s patient visits
soared to 800-900 annually by 2010, serving on average 120 new patient visits per
year for those who had lost their health care coverage.

As the complexion and complexity of our country’s healthcare system
continues to change and evolve, KCC is committed to adapting in order to
continue to serve the health care needs of our residents who fall in the gaps and
cannot afford proper coverage. We work in collaboration with other community
resources in seeing to the overall wellness of our patients. Today, we remain the
primary health care provider for some 1,000 local patients.

In January 2017, after 15 years of steady fundraising and continuous
monitoring of the needs of our community, we moved into our newly-acquired
medical building at 25 Commerce Road, Newtown, CT where we constructed a
modest but modern clinic space, now fully operational. We are in the process of
fundraising to fit-out the remaining 3,500 square feet of the building as
community outreach and program space. This will enable us to expand and
deepen our offerings to our patients and strengthen collaboration with our
vibrant wellness community for the benefit of our beloved Newtown residents.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to provide high quality, comprehensive health care in accordance with our mission statement to those eligible for services in the towns served by the Newtown Health District. From the beginning, that vision has included the goal of building an independent facility to house the clinic services, as well as allow us to:

Increase our capacity to serve more patients

Increase our outreach in educational programs and professional dialogue by having a designated classroom and conference center

Make available a library for health information

Make available an outreach support center

By doing so, we at Kevin’s Community Center can improve the health and enrich the lives of those most in need in our community.

Find Us

Kevin's Community Center25 Commerce RoadNewtown, CT 06740

(203)-426-0496

Hours of Operation: Wednesdays 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Meet the Board of Directors

Dr. Z. Michael Taweh, MD, FACS, CMD President & Medical Director

Dr. Z. Michael Taweh has been a primary care physician since 1999 and now
maintains his medical practice as Comprehensive Medical Care of Danbury. He is the Founder,
President and Medical Director of Kevin’s Community Center. Dr. Taweh has a particular interest in
the nonprofit health care sector and works toward health care reforms for affordable health care for
all Americans. He was presented the prestigious 2004 Dr. Melville G. Magida Award sponsored
annually by the Fairfield County Medical Association and the Richard & Hinda Rosenthal
Foundation. The award recognizes a young physician who has shown a notable capacity for patient
treatment and care and a special sensitivity to patient-physician relationships.

Dr. Evan Pitkoff Secretary

Dr. Pitkoff is the Executive Director of Cooperative Educational Services, the
Regional Educational Service Center for lower Fairfield County, where he has served since 2007. He
spent the first decade of his career in the New York City High School division as a special education
teacher and Assistant Principal. He came to Connecticut in 1988 and has served as Principal of New
Britain High School, Assistant Superintendent of the Hamden Public Schools, Superintendent of
Schools in Region #10, and Superintendent of Schools in Newtown. Dr. Pitkoff serves on the Board
of Directors of several nonprofit organizations. He is also a Connecticut Justice of the Peace and a
Past President of the Connecticut Association of Public Schools. He received his Bachelor of
Science in psychology and health science from Brooklyn College, a Master of Arts in learning
disabilities from New York University, a second Master of Arts in educational administration from
New York University, and a Doctor of Education in educational administration from Columbia
University. He lives in Sandy Hook.

Andrew Urbanski

Andrew Urbanski has spent more than 10 years in the financial services sector and is a
financial advisor and portfolio manager with UBS Financial Services. He is an emeritus member of
the Board of Directors of Masonicare of Connecticut, one of the largest and most respected
eldercare nonprofit organizations in the country. Mr. Urbanski is the Eastern Region Treasurer for
the Metropolitan Opera National Council in New York City. He also develops and maintains
residential real estate in 5 U.S. states and 3 other countries. He lives in Sandy Hook.

Paula Woodhouse

Mrs. Woodhouse is the Head of Business Banking for Union Savings Bank in
Danbury, CT and has held various positions in commercial banking for more than 30 years. She
most recently held the position of Treasurer for the Southern CT Chapter of the American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and also was the Chairperson in 2013 and 2014 for the
AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk, where she raised almost $40,000 for the organization. Mrs.
Woodhouse also specializes in small business lending as well as SBA lending and financing options
for small business owners. Formerly from Sandy Hook, she and her husband Bryan have three
grown children and live in Oxford, CT.

Dr. Della Schmid, M.S., D.C.

Dr. Schmid is the owner of Colonial Chiropractic Centre in Newtown and has
been in private practice as a Doctor of Chiropractic for over 20 years. In 2011, she received the
Newtown Business of the Year award from the Newtown Chamber of Commerce and the Newtown
Rotary Club. Dr. Schmid holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Human Biology from the National
University of Health Sciences and the other in Physical Education from Ithaca College. In addition to
her doctorate from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, IL, she holds a Master of
Science degree in Biomechanics from the University of Delaware. She is a Certified Chiropractic
Sports Physician and has earned 300 postdoctoral hours toward board eligibility as a Chiropractic
Orthopedic specialist. Dr. Schmid is a former adjunct university instructor in diagnostic imaging, an
EMT, a consultant at Leeway Hospital’s AIDS subacute facility in New Haven and a Research Fellow
at the National College of Chiropractic. She has co-chaired the annual Newtown Health and Safety
Fair since its inception in 1993 and is a member of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, various
Chiropractic associations and the Newtown Working Women’s Forum. She is a former member of
the Newtown Public Schools Wellness Committee, past Board member of the Newtown Chamber of
Commerce and past President of the Newtown Business and Professional Women’s Club. Dr.
Schmid has volunteered on the medical staff of the NYC Marathon and Nutmeg Games. She lives in
Sandy Hook.

Dr. Susan Belanger, Ph.D

Dr. Susan Belanger is a licensed psychologist in independent practice. She
holds a Masters of Arts and a Doctorate degree in Applied Developmental Psychology with a
Specialization in Neuropsychology and has been practicing, publishing, and presenting in the field of
child welfare and mental health with children, adolescents, and their families for more than 20 years.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Newtown Memorial Fund, Inc., a sustainable
fund created to support those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. She formerly
worked with Community Health Center, Inc., providing mental health counseling to children and their
families, as well as the Department of Children and Families providing assessments to children
entering the foster care system. Dr. Belanger has served on several local and national advisory
boards, including Middletown CT’s Multi-Interdisciplinary Team and New York City’s Council of
Family and Child Care Agencies (COFCCA) Managed Health Care Task Force, collecting data
aimed at improving the delivery of quality medical and mental health services to children in foster
care in New York City. Dr. Belanger has also served as an adjunct lecturer at Lehman College,
which is part of the City University of New York. She lives in Newtown.

Meet Our Staff

Michael Ronan, Executive Director

Michael was appointed to the newly-established position of Executive Director in 2017 and is a founding board member of Kevin’s Community Center. He has spent the previous nine years at Jericho Partnership, a Danbury faith-based nonprofit social service organization focused on Danbury’s at-risk youth and adults as well as the homeless. He is currently Jericho’s Secretary and Development Coordinator. He previously served as its Treasurer, Stewardship Director, and Director of Operations. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Connecticut and a Juris Doctor from Pace Law School. He worked for Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Danbury during the design, manufacturing and build of the NASA Hubble Space Telescope, then practiced law in Connecticut for more than 20 years. He joined Jericho after a short stopover as a professional golf club fitter with Performance Clubworks in Brookfield. Michael attends St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, in Yonkers, NY, studying toward a Masters of Arts in Theology. He is a candidate for ordination to the order of deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Bridgeport. He has served on numerous nonprofit and community boards over the course of his career, including Newtown Youth Services, Newtown Lions Club and Samaritan Health Center pediatric clinic in Danbury. Michael and his wife Kathy have lived in and loved Newtown for more than 30 years and are active parishioners of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, particularly in men’s and women’s ministries. They have three grown children: Kristin, Matthew and Timothy.

Mary Nielsen, DNP, APRN-BC, Clinic Director

Mary was appointed the Clinic Director of Kevin’s community Center in 2014. She is currently an Assistant Professor in nursing for Western Connecticut State University. Mary is also a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses – Connecticut Chapter, and is currently the chapter treasurer. Mary has earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Western Connecticut State University, a Masters in nursing education from Southern Connecticut State University, a post certification APRN from Wester Connecticut State University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Sacred Heart University. She has worked in various health care organizations in the state of Connecticut, mostly in primary care or emergency care as a nurse for the past 25 years and as an Advanced Practice Nurse for the past 14 years. Mary has served in several nonprofit organizations over the course of her career including the American Red Cross, The American Heart Association, Dodgingtown Fire Department and Newtown Ambulance.

Contact Us

Kevin's Community Center25 Commerce RoadNewtown, CT 06740

(203)-426-0496

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Welcome Message From Our President

Dear Friends,

Because of your generous support I am happy to report to you that KCC is continuing to meet the needs of our many patients. We continue to be humbled by the growing needs and complexity of the medical services that our patients require. We have seen some remarkable turn arounds of patients who were living with longstanding untreated and undiagnosed conditions like gout, severe hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, breast cancer and HIV. Our work on behalf of these patients is only possible because of your commitment to our clinic. Whether you are one of our specialists, medical suppliers, vendors, or general supporters; and whether you represent a company, a service organization or agency, or are a private citizen, please understand that everything you do for KCC helps us serve the needs of these patients. On behalf of our volunteers, staff and patients, please accept my sincere personal gratitude for all you have done on our behalf.

Very Truly Yours,

Z. Michael Taweh, MD
President, Medical Director

A Message From Our Clinic Director

As the KCC Clinic Director it is my privilege to be part of such an organization. The need for free health care is great and very real. Some patients stated that they never thought they would find themselves without health insurance, or have health insurance with a very high deductible. Our center offers a solution, provides answers to questions that have been worrisome, and close monitoring for chronic medical problems and acute illnesses. Most importantly, it offers hope. I cannot thank our volunteers and network of referral specialists enough. Our center would not be what it is today without them. Such outstanding community support has had an immeasurable impact on so many patients’ lives.

Mary Nielson, DNP, APRN-BC

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